BM75: European Students stand behind Colombian Students

BM75 Resolution: European Students stand behind Colombian Students

The European Student’s Union (ESU) expresses its solidarity towards the National Union of Students in Higher Education (UNEES) and the Colombian students who have been on strike for about two months drawing attention to the dire state of public higher education. Colombian students are fighting for the fundamental right to education to press for the government of Colombia to increase spending on public education.

Where at the negotiating table with representatives of the Ministry of Education no satisfactory results have yet been achieved for the student bodies, the Colombian Students reaffirm to continue to attend the negotiating table but demand real political will and efforts from the government to address the acute problems.

ESU sees students as equal partners within higher education system and believes they should always be consulted when decisions are being made at all levels. Having this in mind, ESU asks the Government of Colombia to do everything that is needed in order to solve students’ request for more public funding.

ESU also condemns the attacks on the students protesting committed by the state security forces and for the attacks on the lives and integrity of Colombian students who exercised their right to demonstrate.

Therefore, We, the European Students’ representatives, sympathize with the Colombian students and calls upon the Colombian authorities to accept the demands of the Colombian students to increase public spending on education and to stop the violence.

ESU calls upon EU and European countries to encourage improvements to HE in Colombia.

#MarchaPorLaEducacion

Proposed by: VSS-UNES-USU
Seconded by: KSU, NSO, fzs, LÍS, USI, ÖH